Story of the 121st
by Weretiger Marduk
Summary: This is the story of one stormtrooper trying to survive the war with the rebellion. There's violence and language, and maybe some other stuff later. ON HOLD
1. Chapter 1

Ch.1

A Civilian to A Warrior

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars, though the character is mine.

For the audience: I haven't slept in six weeks, before I started writing A Little Black Magic, so bear with me. This is the story of one stormtrooper, Jak Thalessa. In my story, only the 501st continued to use clones, while the rest of the ranks were fleshed out with recruits from the conquered worlds. Jak hails from the planet Derallia, a remote Outer Rim world. He signed up with the 121st legion shortly before his 20th birthday. This takes place roughly a decade after the third movie, as the Empire rises to power. There are still about a hundred Jedi around, doing their best to evade the Empire.

As the morning reveille sounded, Jak scrambled out of his rack. Little more than a plazcrete frame with a blanket and pillow thrown on, it was easy to get out of, but hard to sleep in. "On your feet! Get out of bed! WAKE YOUR SORRY SELVES UP!" Jak suppressed a sigh. The instructors woke them up the same way every morning: fast and brutal. Jak supposed he would appreciate the lack of advance warning if he ever woke up in a firefight, but it was darned bothersome to wake up with your hands trembling for six months.

The routine was the same every morning: wake up(violently), march to the mess hall, eat as fast as you can without choking, march to classes, march to drill field, march to mess hall for lunch, march to physical training(p.t.), march to firing range, march back to classes, march to mess hall for dinner, march to barracks, clean barracks, get an hour to wash yourself and/or your uniform, then hit the sack about eleven; wake up the next morning to do it again.

It had been six months since he and all the other recruits had been marched off a transport so cramped they had barely all fit on it. Now they were on the eve of graduating and becoming the most elite fighting in the galaxy: the stormtroopers. Jak had joined with three hundred other hopefuls, as they came closer and closer to the end of the brutal training they numbered barely two hundred. Illness, injury, and weakness had killed off or shipped home all but the best.

Jak felt a moment of pride as he considered this. He, along with his comrades, knew almost everything there was to know about war. They were all experts with blaster rifle and pistol. They were competent with explosives. They were proficient in the use of archaic weaponry, from spears and knives to percussion-based firearms of the less-developed races. They could man almost any vehicle, from speeders to AT-STs. They could survive for weeks in any environment. And now they were to become a force to be reckoned with.

They spent their day getting ready for graduation. Hanging what few ribbons they had on their uniforms, ironing out all the wrinkles, and shining everything that could be shined. Finally, the hour approached. Their donned their uniforms, marched out to the parade field, and waited for the commanding officer to make a speech. Jak, his muscular frame obvious even through the unisex uniform, his dark hair was only a few centimeters long, instead of the two inch long mess that almost everyone seemed to sport as the current trend. His slate grey eyes sought out anyone who looked important enough to make saluting necessary.

He marched up to the microphone, his gray uniform and black boots almost blending to the pavement around dark grey concrete around him. When he spoke, his voice echoed from a dozen loudspeakers all around.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you came here disgusting, undisciplined. Worthless. These six months, you have proven yourselves to be more than those people who resided around you 'back home'. You have proven yourselves to be a valuable asset to the Empire, joining the ranks of those who came before you to bring order and peace to the galaxy. In the past, this was done through diplomacy and negotiation. Now, these ideas have shown themselves to be as worthless as those who used them. A threat to the sanctity of the Empire has arisen, this so-called Rebellion that threatens all we have worked to achieve. Today, with this ceremony, you shall be the new safeguard against this menace to our way of life. Today you will complete your transition. You are no longer a Civilian. You are a Stormtrooper!"

_The noise was deafening. All across the parade field the newly appointed Stormtroopers howled out their pride and their honor to serve. They flew from the field like the devil's of an alien hell was after them. They all had one destination: civilization. Tonight was their night. For one night, they were invincible._


	2. Chapter 2

Ch2. Going to War

Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Star Wars.

3 months later

"Jak. Jak, get up. Jak!"

Jak rolled out of his rack, reaching for his blaster pistol. He had it out and level with the offender's chest before he realized he was still in firebase epsilon, and he was pointing his weapon at his friend Corran's heart. "Whoa! Easy, man!" Jak sighed and put his blaster back in the holster hanging from his rack post. "What now, Corran? If this is another false alarm, I'm gonna shoot the sergeant." Corran grinned. "Not this time man. We finally got orders. We're leaving this rock. The 501st just hit Naboo, some kinda 'government adjustment', they said. We got called in to sweep the capitol city and mop up." Jak gave his friend a small grin. "Ready to finally kill someone?" He yawned and began donning his armor. "Give me five minutes."

On the surface, a small group of ragged-looking people dressed in unassuming garments gathered in an abandoned house. There were five of them, two males and three females. They sat huddled around a small fire, set on the hard floor of the house; feeding the small flame with pieces of furniture or cloth.

A woman with long brown hair falling around her shoulders spoke, her voice trembling. "What will we do now?" The man sitting across from her shook his head. When he spoke, his voice was rough, like his throat had been damaged. "I don't know. We have to get off planet, that's for sure. With the queen gone…" A melodic voice spoke next, it's speaker hidden by the hood of her cloak. "How do you suggest we run, Adar? We have no money, nothing to barter with, and no friends." The other two figures remained silent, their hands clasped together as if each was a lifeline for the other. The one called Adar answered sharply. "So what would you have us do, Kaer? Should we surrender? Throw ourselves on our blades? I don't desire to become one with the force so quickly."

The first woman spoke again. Her voice was shrill, as if she wanted to scream but couldn't quite give way to the desire. "Stop! This won't help. Surely we still have allies, or other Jedi survived the assault like we did. They could be anywhere, hiding like we are. I refuse to surrender, either to fear or the so-called Empire." Adar laughed unpleasantly.

"Surrender isn't what I had in mind. What I was thinking of was a little less pacifistic." Everyone else arrayed around the fire looked at her with a combination of fear and thoughtfulness. "You mean vengeance." Adar nodded. "Another detachment is being sent here to make sure the job is done. I intend to at least take some of them with me." The other speakers nodded one by one. Kaer finally spoke. "Then it's decided. When these 'stormtroopers' arrive, we will be there to greet them."

Corran and Jak looked up from their pazaak game as the door to their shelter opened. It was their squad leader, Seni. Seni had been one of the first platoons of stormtroopers ever to be recruited. She was the most experienced trooper around, but she had a tendency to disregard orders, the tell her superiors what she thought of these orders. Regardless, she was too valuable to be shoved into some file, so she was bounced between squad leader and platoon leader, depending on who got killed around her.

"Suit up boys, our squads on patrol tonight." Corran groaned. "Again? We've been on this rock for six weeks and we ain't found anything but corpses." Seni nodded. "True, but tonight's different. I can feel it. Something's goin' on." Corran and Jak both fell silent. Seni's 'feelings' had never led her wrong before. In the time that they'd known her, when Seni said somethingwas going to happen, it always did.

Jak and Corran suited up. They donned their shiny, stark white armor, grabbed their gear belts, loaded their weapons, and joined the rest of their squad at the firebase gates. They moved onto the road, following the streets on their assigned route.

Jak felt a sinking feeling in his gut. Unlike usual, the streets were quiet. No lights shone in the windows of the houses. Pets had been brought in from outside, there was no traffic on the streets. It was as if the entire city held it's breath. Seni's voice came over the com: "Keep an eye out, whatever's gonna happen, it's gonna happen soon." The entire file tightened their grips on their weapons, ready for anything.

The night wore on as minutes dragged by and the file kept moving. Through the city they went, checking every alley, ready for the slightest movement. As they were making their way back, Corran's voice came over Jak's com: "What's going on? Seni's feeling should have hit by now. She said 'soon', didn't she? I wonder if…" Corran's voice shut off with a hiss of static. "Corran? Shit." Jak opened his com up to Seni. "Squad leader, I think something's up. I just lost Corran." Seni's voice was clear as she addressed the stormtroopers. "Be advised, possible host…" At the front of the column, there was a flash of light, and chaos erupted.

Adar felt satisfaction in watching the stormtrooper's head roll across the ground. The kill had been swift, Adar had barely turned her lightsaber on before she was neatly severing his head from his body. The brilliant beam was extinguished just as quickly. She saw a similar action towards the front as the first of the doomed troopers was downed. Then all thought vanished as five darkly dressed figures exploded into the street, beams of colored light as their weapons.

To their credit, the stormtroopers fought valiantly. They attempted to form into a defensive formation, making a circle to keep their backs protected. It would have worked against normal foes. But the Jedi swept through their ranks, reducing the fifty or so troops to a couple of dozen in barely a minute. Then one man pulled his helmet off and began shouting orders. The stormtroopers scattered, taking cover all over the street. Adar smiled wolfishly. She was still smiling when several of them began to fire at her with their weapons on full automatic. She noticed similar tactics being deployed against her comrades. Their assault suddenly became a desperate defense against the lethal fire.

Kaer weaved his lightsabers in a frenzy, blocking and deflecting the blaster bolts that streaked toward him, lighting the night. He was still deflecting bolts when Jak rolled a thermal detonator under his feet. The explosion lifted him up, and he glimpsed the others' plight before his body hit the ground, and the light left his eyes.

Jak watched in amazement. _I didn't think that would work._ He shook himself, remembering that there were still four more jedi to kill. _How did they survive the 501st?_ Two of the jedi fought side-by-side and back to back, two bodies moving as one. They cut a path through the remaining stormtroopers, obviously trying to escape. Another stood in the middle of the street, her lightsaber lit from both ends. Her movements were almost dance-like, fluid, and she seemed to be able to deflect the bolts in a 360 degree arc.

Another had her back to the wall of a building, slowly moving towards an alley. _Oh no you don't. _ Jak crept to the alley from the opposite side, hoping she would be too distracted by the covering fire to notice. She was. He moved into the alley, silently, no mean feat considering his size and the inherent noise of the armor.

Sure enough, the jedi, with a last wave of her lightsaber, spun into the alley, looking over her shoulder to ward of blaster fire from behind.

That was a mistake.

Jak's fist caught her in the back of the head, dropping her to the cold concrete of the street. His blaster pistol's muzzle met her head, and he fired a three-round burst into the back of her skull. Surreptitiously, he picked up her fallen weapon, hiding it away in one of the cases on his belt. As he stepped out of the alley, he saw that the woman still survived in the street, and was actually managing to bounce back some of the rounds fired at her. "Hey, schutta!" His yell distracted her for a moment, allowing one of his fellow stormtroopers to finally get a shot through her defense.

The bolt took her in the calf, and she fell to one knee. She threw out her arm behind her, and the phalanx that stood there flew backward with such force that some of them actually stuck in the wall. Enraged, the remaining stormtroopers, now numbering a pitiful handful, opened fire on the injured jedi again. Jak , behind her from now, calmly pulled his combat knife from it's sheath and took aim.

He let fly, and the blade caught her in the throat. Her 'saber blade went wild, allowing the blasters to at last find their mark. She jerked as rounds were poured into her body, each one burning a hole through flesh and cloth alike. She was dead before the last bolt hit her.

The remaining stormtroopers shouted with victory, their weapons held high. Jak yelled with them, sweat covering him. _It's good to be alive. _Their joy and his quickly turned to shock as two forgotten jedi dropped onto them from above. With a few spins and slashes, the fight was finished. All Jak's squad were slain.

"NO!"Jak screamed in rage. The two jedi looked at him, surprised, before they walked toward him, grim determination set in their eyes. Jak fell to his knees, reaching over to grab his helmet and putting it on; his hands behind his back like a doomed man at the headsman's block. The two jedi didn't speak, they simply walked toward him, standing in front of him. They raised their 'sabers high- and Jak brought his last two thermal detonators from behind his back and held them in their faces.

Behind his helmet, he grinned. "Go to hell, and tell my boys I'm sorry."

The detonators went off, throwing him backward into the wall, his head met something hard, and he knew no more.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

Planetside

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars yadda, yadda, yadda

Jak floated in the void. All around him was blackness. _Am I dead? Well, this sucks. I thought there would be some kind of welcoming committee. 'Hi welcome to the afterlife' or something. And why does my throat itch? And my nose? This isn't exactly what I had in mind after death. But, it is kinda peaceful. _

Then Jak heard voices. "His vitals are stable, he's still apparently in a coma." "Spare no expense doctor. This man is the only survivor of a jedi ambush. I want him alive and well, maybe he can pull it off again." The first voice returned. "Sir, with respect, it's amazing he's alive at all. He was lucky we could grow his arms back; another couple of hours and his nerves would have been too shot to bother reattaching anything."

Jak was baffled. _ So I'm still alive? Damn! I guess I won't be floating for much longer. And what do they mean by 'arms'? _ He flexed his fingers experimentally. There was a new voice now, a soft one. Female. "Doctor, I'm reading an elevation of his brain wave patterns. It looks like he's coming out of it. He just moved his hand, sir." The second voice spoke again. "Excellent, now if he'd just open his eyes."

_My eyes are closed? Oh yeah. That's what's making it dark. I wonder if they'd let me sleep a little longer. Nah, they'd just hound me till I got out of bed. _ Jak opened his eyes. Everything looked distorted, like he was underwater. Then he understood: he was in a bacta tank.

Everything started to take shape. Outside of the tank was a doctor, a nurse working a console, and a Grand Moff. Jak feebly brought his arm up in a salute, and the Grand Moff, witness to his awakening, snapped to attention and saluted him back.

"You've done well, son. Get some rest. Tomorrow you'll be debriefed, and we'll see about what's to come." Jak nodded, the best he could do, and fell back into a dreamless sleep.

Over the next week, Jak was debriefed, awarded, promoted, and sent back to his unit. Once there, he was made squad leader of his old squad, a bunch of freshmeats straight from the academy. The week after that, they were given snow gear and stuffed onto a transport for Rhen Var, where the rebels had discovered an Imperial listening outpost.

They were shuttling down onto the ice when one of the new guys gave a shout. "Squad leader, over here." He pointed out the porthole. Jak moved in front of the stormtrooper and looked out the porthole himself. About where they were going to land, there was an uncharacteristic red glow, at odds with the pure white that blanketed everything on this planet.

Jak moved to the front of the shuttle, to the cockpit where the pilot, Saresha, was bringing the clunky machine down. Jak tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to a rock outcropping about a klick away from the outpost. "Set us down over there; we'll go the rest of the way on foot." She shrugged and began to move the ship to its new destination.

Back in the rear of the shuttle, Jak donned his helmet and issued his orders. "To your gear checks and get ready for a march, we're going for a walk." Just then, amessage came over his personal command line. "Ghost three, this is ghost one come in." Jak responded to the first squad leader's hail "One this is three. What the word?" "You are changing your heading, any reason why?" Jak nodded before he realized One couldn't see him. "That's affirmative. One of my boys spotted something out of place, we're gonna check it out." One's voice was less than ecstatic. "Roger, but if you find anything, inform me immediately." "Will do. Out."

Once the line had been cut, he sneered. "Yeah, right. Prick. Damn glory-seeking schutta. He'll probably say he ordered us to change course if something comes out of it."

They touched down, the shuttle's thrusters kicking up snow as they slowed the bulky craft. As they piled out, Jak issued his orders. "Alright, break off into fire teams and move towards the outpost. Hand signals only, I don't want anyone picking up our radio chatter." The stormtroopers surrounding him nodded in understanding, and they moved off into the snow.

Jak was leading the point team, so he was the first one over the ridge. Without a word he dropped flat to the snow, motioning his team to follow. The other teams did the same once they saw the ones before them. They made a line abreast, then crept up to the ridge line. The outpost, burnt to the foundations, lay in a small valley before them. The antennae had been disassembled, and some of the buildings still burned. In the ruins, figures could be seen walking around, carrying blaster rifles quite different from the stormtroopers. Rebels. Lots of them, if the damage to the base was any indication. Jak made two quick signals with his hand. Fan out. Ambush on sight. The line of stormtroopers advanced, slowly creeping down into the valley. Blasters were holstered in favor of quieter weapons. Knives and needler pistols were wrapped in white cloth to conceal them as the stormtroopers crept ever closer to the gutted outpost.

Jak moved forward cautiously wary, of a trap. Even so, he almost missed the concealed hole that had been dug into the hillside. Waving his team on, he inched closer to the hole. Roughly an inch of cloth-wrapped barrel stuck out of the hillside, the sniper's nest apparently having been dug in, the hidden with some kind of camouflage pattern with snow piled on top. The barrel was sticking out of the left side of the opening, while Jak approached it from the right. As the stormtroopers crept into the outpost with the rebels, more of the barrel came into view. The sniper was apparently readying themselves to move as soon as the shot was fired. _One shot would alert the rebels to our presence. She wouldn't even have to hit a target._

Jak was sure she would, though; in his experience the rebel snipers were darn good at their job. He lay flat again, waiting out his foe. He registered a moment of surprise as the face of the sniper emerged. It was a female. Her eyes were totally fixed on her scope, but he could see that her eyes were a deep blue, set over high cheekbones and a thin face. _Not bad. Too bad she's gotta go. _ Quick as a flash, his armored fist met her temple, knocking her cold. _She's even better looking asleep. It's a real shame. _ Pulling his knife from his belt, he made ready to stab the unconscious woman when he heard a noise above him.

He hissed, seeing movement. _White on white. I can't tell if its more of us or them. Damn it. Well, gorgeous, looks like you get to live for a little while longer. _ He quickly pushed her back into the hole, following himself moments later. Surprisingly, the dug out section was big enough to turn around in, and was stocked with what looked like cold rations and a small personnel heating pad. _Damn helmet, can't see a thing in this junk. _ Pulling off and discarding the offending equipment,he tossed it into a corner of the crawlspace, looking over the sleeping form next to him. She was very lean, a bit on the tall side, and very well toned. "Well, gorgeous, looks like we're gonna have to share a roof for a while." He grinned lopsidedly. "I only have two rules: I sleep in my own bed, and I don't cook on Sundays."

He chuckled to himself. "I can tell you'll be the life of the party." The woman's reply was a soft moan. Jak had no worries about her, he was confident his armor would protect him. He searched her quickly but quietly, making as little noise as possible. He pulled her pistol, a survival knife, and a stun baton off her, setting them on his other side. He stretched himself out next to her, ready to grab her if she woke and tried to sound the alarm. He watched as the troops stalked over the hiding place.

_Rebels. No doubt about it._ The girl stirred, rolling over and shaking her head slightly. Jak pinned her with his torso and put his hand over her mouth. She opened her eyes then, struggling briefly. He held one finger up to his lips. "Shh." He winked at her, then rolled over so she could breathe. She patted herself down quickly, no doubt searching for her weapons. He quietly snapped his fingers, then pointed to the pile on his other side.

She narrowed her eyes, obviously intending to try to jump him. He shook his head and pointed toward the floor. She noticed the flechette pistol he held in his hand under his torso. She looked out the entryway, watching her people as they moved in on the unsuspecting stormtroopers. Or so she thought. Jak picked up his helmet and clicked the com twice, the signal for an ambush to the rear. The sniper gasped as the stormtroopers burst from hiding, slaughtering the rebels patrolling the cap, then immediately drawing weapons and taking cover from the rebels that had thought they had the drop on them.

It was a slaughter. The stormtroopers, forewarned, better armed, and better armored, cut through the surprised ranks of the rebels. The rebel lines broke, swarming back up the ridge. The stormtroopers, silent as the snow itself, methodically began to work their way up the hill. Jak slipped his helmet back on, clicking his com in a short signal: snipers prone. The squad, well drilled, began to slowly search every inch of terrain for hidden snipers hiding in the snow. In moments, the first sniper hole was discovered. The screams of the rebels inside as they died spurred the stormtroopers on, until the cries of the dying echoed across the frozen wasteland.

Jak took his helmet off and set it in front of the cloth covering of the hole, a signal that there were 'troopers inside. He turned to look at his catch of the day. She was huddled against the back wall of the hole, her back pressed into the earth. She looked from Jak to the entrance and back again. Jak spoke softly, non-threateningly. "So what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?" He chuckled slightly. "You know, if you'd like, I'll give you back a weapon, so that you can die with honor. They will kill you, regardless, but it seems unsporting to not give you a chance." She bared her teeth at him. He shrugged. "Suit yourself. Good luck."

Just as he was preparing to call out to his squad, the woman charged him with a surprising burst of speed. She threw herself onto him, wrestling with him. It was no shock when she reached for her blaster. Quick as a flash, he pressed his flechette pistol to her heart.

"You don't want to do that. You may kill me, even before I get my shot off, but my buddies outside will hear the round go off, and your dead anyway." She dug the end of the barrel into his gut just a little harder. When she spoke, her voice was passionate, powerful, but still decidedly feminine.

"By your own words, I'm dead either way." Jak nodded. "True, but when I offered to give you a weapon, you declined. What's the point of taking something that was offered beforehand?" She blinked. "You mean to tell me you would have really given me a weapon?" He nodded again. "I said so, didn't I?" He huffed. "Is it really that difficult a concept to accept?" She nodded once, curtly. "Yes. I would expect any sort of trickery from the troops that destroyed Derallia." His eyes narrowed. "Derallia's destroyed?" She laughed once. "Don't tell me you didn't know. The Empire destroyed Derallia with some kind of super weapon testing less than a week after they took Naboo."

He shook his head. "I was on the initial assault on Naboo, and we were there for six weeks with fully functional comm. Someone would have mentioned ho- Derallia getting wiped out." She looked him over again. "You almost said home, didn't you? You were from Derallia." He looked away. "It doesn't matter."

Just then, the cloth covering the entry opened and a blaster rifle poked through. "Boss? Is that you in there?" Not even sure why he was doing it, Jak pulled the woman's head to his shoulder, then made a big show of rolling her off him. To her credit, she didn't even breathe.

"Yeah, Dorn, it's me." He did hid best to look embarrassed. "One of them grabbed my feet and dragged me in here. I got her back though." He rested one hand on the 'corpse.' "Shame too. She was not too bad looking." Dorn made a small whistling sound. "Shame, indeed. Well, I'm gonna keep moving back up the hill, we think the rebels might have more forces hiding out in the tundra." Dorn left, on his way.

The woman let out the breathe she had been holding. She propped herself up on her elbows, looking at Jak curiously. "You just saved my butt. Why?" Jak shrugged and began grabbing all his gear. "Dunno. Maybe I was so taken with your good looks and charm I couldn't help myself." She chuckled quietly. He finished storing all his things and grabbed his helmet. He looked at her thoughtfully. "There are more rebels hidden in these hills, aren't there?" She nodded slowly, her eyes downcast.

"Can you get to them without being seen?" She looked up sharply. "You're letting me go?" He nodded. "Next time you point a weapon at my stormtroopers, though, I'll shoot first and cuddle later." As an afterthought, he dropped the white cape from his shoulders. "That might help. I always thought it a bit much, anyway." She ran her hands over the cloak before wrapping it about her shoulders, making an improvised hood from a corner. She touched his shoulder, briefly. "Thank you," she said uncomfortably. He nodded, then, as an afterthought, leaned over and gave her a quick kiss before scurrying out of the hole as quickly as he was able.

Once outside, he donned his helmet again to shield him from the cold, then opened his com. "Third squad, proceed to nav point gamma and rendezvous with squad two." Then he turned and began the hike toward his own forces and eventual escape from this ice hole of a planet.

Keara watched the stormtrooper leave her shelter with a puzzled look. He had spared her life, given her a chance to escape, and even left her sniper rifle here. Why?_ Why would a stormtrooper do that? I could, no I should, shoot him in the back right now. _ But she knew she wouldn't. Not after he had lied to his own people to save her. _I hope we never do meet again, 'trooper. Because I don't think I could let you live. And that **would** be a shame._

She crawled out of her cover, moving slowly across the frozen ground. Snow began to fall filling in her tracks. She crossed over the ridge, making her way back to her own soldiers, and the hope of safety on another world.

Whew! Three chapters down. Please review and tell me what you think. I'm getting sent to the east coast in a couple of days, so there might be a lapse in between chapters.


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